Myanmar's parliament is expected to approve a bill in May authorizing the establishment of foreigner-only casinos, the Myanmar Times newspaper reported on Sunday. Myanmar's parliament is expected to meet again later this month after a holiday in April.
The legislative measure, which calls previous media reports the Gambling Bill 2018, includes amendments to the existing statute, the Gambling Act of 1986. According to The Myanmar Times, the latest bill includes recommendations from the country's leader, President Win Myint. According to previous media reports, detailed rules and bylaws for the casino industry will be determined once the basic bill is passed.
The Myanmar Times reported that casinos, if approved, will be allowed to operate in hotels in Yangon and Mandalay, Myanmar's two largest cities. The report noted that only foreigners will be allowed to gamble under the revised gaming bill, and passport confirmation will be required from customers who wish to use it.
Several casinos have already been recorded on the casino directory website as operating in the Myanmar region of the so-called "Golden Triangle," where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Luak and Mekong rivers. Most of these venues are located in their own management areas.
Media reports say the extent to which Myanmar's central government can control its share of the region has historically been limited by conflicts with ethnic minority groups.
Myanmar authorities can no longer ignore illegal casinos operating in some areas, the Myanmar Times reported, citing Maiat Niarna So, secretary of the parliamentary Joint Bill Committee.
"We need to set rules and regulations to legalize domestic casinos and make operations systematic. The new industry will also help with tax revenues. We managed to draft regulations and Hlutau (Congress) should approve them," he added.
The Myanmar Times, however, said it remained unclear whether the new law would be enforced in autonomous regions.
Owen Maung, Myanmar's hotel and tourism minister, said in February last year that the government was not opposed to casinos being developed in the country because they were a way to boost the tourism industry.
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